Morning journal and courier., 1887-10-04
HOMBURG WAYS.
Pursuing Health With All One's
 Strength.

The day at Homburg is so strictly divided among duties that it passes with surprising rapidity, writes London News correspon- dent, and one goes to bed at an astonishingly early hour, with the gratifying sense of hav- ing done 8 good days work. According to the fashion of the place, which is ruled by the mandate of the doctors, visitors are out mad gather round the Elizabeth spring by seven in the morning. Some, whom more ciziiized habits keep in thrall, delay their coming till dangerously close upon half-past seven. But to be later than that renders it impossible to carry out the authorized pros gramme of the day, which is as immovable as the laws of the Medes and Persians. The first rule is to breakfast at nine o'clock on diet limited to tea or coffee, bread and butter (some are forbidden butter), and if un- tutored nature craves for supplement an egg may be beaten. Every patient is ordered to take from two to three glasses from the Eliza beth we'll between seven and nine in the morning. After the first glass he walks for fifteen minutes; for similar time after the second, and after the third there comes an hours walk. Here is an hour and half's trampiug, and with breakfast at nine it is evident that half-past seven is the latest mos ment at which the earnest seeker after health must be at the spring. Of course there are some frivolous people who gather here be- cause it is Q pretty and fashionable place, with fair share of amusements. But for the most part the crowd in the park, where the wells are situated are determined to give ''the cure" an honest and painstaking t1ial. Except perhaps in the precincts of the Stock Exchange in London, you will not anywhere see g more preoccupied, hastenlng crowd than that which takes it's walks by the Ellz- abeth spring every morning in the season. It is charming scene, with the flowers, the shrubs, the trees, the blue sky overhead and the purple hazed Taurus mountains bound ing the horizon. Always band discourses most excellent music. In wet weather, such as we had this morning, there is covered promenade up and down which the patients resolutely hustle during their quarter hour turns or their final hour. It seems almost incredible, under an administration so capa- ble and Watchful as that which rules Hom- burg, there should be neglected the simple precaution of issuing walking directions. How would it be in taking walk down Fleet street if the constant streams Of pas sengers moving east and west did not keep to the right? Here there is no such regula. ton, and though an effort is made by 8 con- siderable portion of the throng to follow the London habit, the regular stream IS certain to be damned by some old lady with her un1- brella placidly strolling down the wrong way, while 8 burly German, with equally spacious spouse on his erm, meanders down the middle and hampers regular progress on either side The simple expedient of pla- card inviting promenaders to "Keep to the right" would prevent what is really seri- ously annoying incident.
 Before one o'clock luncheon there is, usu- ally on alternate days, bath taken. This may be of unadultersted mineral water, or it can be in 8 soothing bed of mud. There is also the fragrant, refreshing mineral water bath, with g strong infusion of pine. l have not tried the mud bath, but in the oth- CTS the patients remain twenty minutes, which helps to get through the day. There is water to be taken again in the afternoon, with the walking as before. Then dinner at six o'clock. happily moving on in some hotels to half-past six. Afterwards the Kerhaus, deserted now by the gamblers, but kept up in all it's former stata for more innocent visi~ tors, who dine here if they please, but whether or not free to tread it's spacious halls, to lounge on its Ieafy terraces, to be- hold it's frequently illuminated garden and to listen to the sweet music discoursed py the band.